Manchester United are eyeing up a potential transfer for VfB Stuttgart goalkeeper Odysseas Vlachodimos, according to a tweet from journalist Fabrizio Romano.

The Greek goalkeeper is ‘expected to leave Benfica’ in the summer transfer window, which should allow transfer talks to progress in a streamlined manner.

With this being said, United will only pursue a move for the player if a sale is completed for backup ‘keeper Dean Henderson, who has been linked with several moves away from the club this summer. According to Romano, he is linked with both Nottingham Forest and Crystal Palace in the Premier League.

In Romano’s tweet, he wrote: “Manchester United now exploring move for Odisseas Vlachodimos who’s expected to leave Benfica. Vlachodimos, top of Man Utd list as new backup GK in case Dean Henderson joins Crystal Palace or Forest.”

Will Odysseas Vlachodimos be an improvement over Dean Henderson for Manchester United?

At this point, it is difficult to say. Much of Henderson’s recent career has been spent away from the club on loan spells for teams such as Nottingham Forest and Sheffield United.

Last season, Vlachodimos played in every league game for Benfica last season, conceding just 20 goals over the course of 34 games in the Primeira Liga.

Additionally, at 29 years of age, the Greek international has significantly more experience under his belt than Henderson does. Stylistically, they are very similar – they are both brilliant shot-stoppers who are somewhat limited in the technical department.

Could Odisseas Vlachodimos provide competition for Andre Onana?

For all of Vlachodimos’ talents, it is unlikely that he will have an equal share of game time with Onana. The Cameroonian international, with his superlative technical ability, is crucial to the style of football that Erik Ten Hag wants to implement at United.

Vlachodimos is not known for his sweeping abilities – like Henderson and De Gea, he is a much more traditional goalkeeper whose strengths are found in his cat-like reflexes and shot-stopping ability.

Nevertheless, Vlachodimos should prove to be an excellent deputy to Onana and can be relied upon to do a solid job between the sticks when United’s number one is unavailable.